1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a distributed speech recognition system. More particularly, the invention relates to a distributed speech recognition system utilizing dynamic remote procedure call to connect speech recognition engine wrappers to a central speech processor.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Recent developments in speech recognition and telecommunication technology have made distributed, automated speech recognition systems for transcription applications a reality. The ability to provide automated transcription is not only limited to speech recognition products utilized on a single PC. Large, distributed systems for automated transcription are currently available.
These distributed speech recognition systems allow subscribers to record speech files at a variety of locations, transmit the recorded speech files to a central processing facility where the speech files are transcribed through the application of speech recognition technology and receive fully transcribed text files of the originally submitted speech files. As those skilled in the art will certainly appreciate, such systems require substantial automation to ensure that all speech files are handled in an orderly and efficient manner.
Prior systems have relied upon a central processing facility linked to clusters of speech recognition engines governed by a speech recognition interface. In accordance with such systems, speech files enter the central processing facility and are simply distributed amongst the plurality of speech recognition clusters with no regard for the efficiency of the cluster to which the file is assigned or the ability of specific speech recognition engines to handle certain speech files.
With the many speech recognition engines linked to the central processing facility it often becomes necessary to add or remove speech recognition engines to the overall system. However, when such speech recognition engines are added, it is necessary that the central processor registry be updated with the location, protocol and availability of the newly added specific speech recognition engine. As current systems rely upon the central processor registry to ensure that interaction between the central processor and the speech recognition engine is possible, updating of the central processor registry may only be completed upon the initialization, or boot-up, of the central speech processor. Specifically, the central speech processor must be powered down, the new speech recognition engine installed, and the central speech processor powered back up to complete the reconfiguration of the operating system, and, consequently, the central processor registry. As such, it is necessary that the entire system be momentarily shut down when one wishes to add a new speech recognition engine to the distributed speech recognition system.
With the foregoing in mind, a need currently exists for a distributed transcription system wherein speech recognition engines are dynamically added without requiring the disruption associated with shutting down the entire system so that the central processor may reinitialize. The present system provides such a transcription system.